THE DARK HOLE OF WORRY/ANXIETY Part 1

Matthew 6v25,34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…”

We may all well know what it is like to feel uneasy and sometimes (almost) lose hope. Times when we perceive we are in dire need or our lives are threatened. Then there are times when we enjoy the ecstasy of our spirits soaring high like eagles. There is no pretence when we are faced with life realities that cause these emotional and practical situations. However, when we are experiencing need and life is threatened, there is no need of, and I think no excuse for, worrying in the present or the future. But how often and unawares do we slip or fall into that dark hole of worry! I say this with much reserve and respect.

Many a time it is with little or no thought of the appalling effect that “anxious care” has on our whole being, such that it takes God to command and seek to help us since he knows us fully and cares. The temptation to worry about life or something thereof – studies, the traffic, rentals, children, projects, fees, rains, investments and the like – is extremely high. It looms and follows us like a shadow and intrudes even when we are in bed! So let’s peep into what it is and why I am referring to it as a dark hole.

Webster’s dictionary defines worry as: “to tease; to trouble; to harass with importunity, or with care and anxiety.” Importunity is synonymous with insistence, demanding, pestering. The Collins dictionary defines worry as “the state or feeling of anxiety and unhappiness caused by the problems that you have or by thinking about unpleasant things that might happen.”

I would like to simply consider worry, creatively, as curious thinking devoid of trust/hope in God, that may literary eat you from the inside-out or rob you peace, mental, and physical health. I would deduce such thinking to align with what James terms as arrogant and evil, because it’s God who is in control (James 4v13-16). I will use worry and anxiety interchangeably. I have termed that state the “dark hole” firstly to attract your attention, but much more so to assert that it is something that we are prone to be drawn into (sometimes unintentionally) but which we could get out of or avoid falling into by a slightly frightening and gentle reminder and being aware of it in these times.

Dark, I have called it because it is undesirable for healthy living as it is sinful and its reeling effects could be hurtful to say the least! Psalm 88v3-6; Luke 10v41; Proverbs 12v25; Daniel 7v15 give hints on the point. More importantly, the Author of Life forbids it. Truth be stated: none of us can forecast our experience even for the next minute but we need not fear or worry about current circumstances or what lies ahead through “the veil of the impenetrable future,” counsels a good Christian. We should resist the temptation and confess it and let the Lord help us if we’re already reeling under it. God says “Thou shall not…”, and provides the remedy. What a good and amazing God!

I’ve put my footing in the Bible while running with the subject and I hope you don’t see the whole piece as mere wordy rhetoric or applying only to Christians. It is a subject that is hot and fresh with familiarity! And, it is no advocacy for escapism. In case you are thinking “it is because you have no problems… you are not in the situation that I’m in,” you would be quite off the tangent. Tell me who wouldn’t worry, ordinarily, when they are jobless, they are broke and their plans are not working accordingly? There’s someone, and I think that’s extraordinary! Are you swimming in the chilling waters of suffering or you are in the dark valley pain? Turn and cling to the Lord. It could be that God has left you to yourself, to try/test you, that he might know all that is in your heart (not that he actually doesn’t know!). Read about Job, Joseph, Hezekiah and many others in the Bible.

The Irrationality of Worrying

Now, who wants to be or enjoys being in a dark place? No situation should cause us to worry except sinful unbelief. The path of life seems to be dotted with many holes. Worry/ anxiety is a hole we should never dig for ourselves or others or fall into. It does not help or add value in any situation at all! In fact it could worsen the situation. I have written about fear before and would like to point out that it is a teammate of worry. Look at what Adam and Eve did after transgressing God’s command; and why, thinking apart from God that He couldn’t fix that? The very definition or description of worry or anxiety encompasses fear. It too is insidious, often not acknowledged or easily detected or recognised. Worry is a parasite we should not entertain in our minds and hearts. It is infectious! I will not delve at all into its relationship with fear, but suffice to cite the following passages of Scripture: Genesis 3v6-11; Psalm 127v2; Isaiah 35v4; Jeremiah 17v8.

Imagine a six year old boy who finds no parents or food at home when he comes from school, sits by the step holding the chin in his hands. The mother appears suddenly with some parcels and inquires why the posture, the boys answers, “I was worried and wondering if we will have food today.” Him worrying, instead of playing or doing homework? Is that not like an insult to the parent? Well, I guess the question that might beg answers would be, “How do you avoid worrying?” How do you not worry? I hope that six year old boy didn’t catch the infectious parasite of worry from either or both of his parents at some point. 

Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul’s words in the Bible no less forbid worrying than those of Jesus do, in answer to that question. Philippians 4v6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Paul points us to God, whom we are to approach with an assured relational attitude. I will not get into explaining that. But you might have got it right: worrying is like an insult to God too. It is sin. You don’t trust God when you worry. We are told “God richly provides us with everything to enjoy” in 1Timothy 6v17. God is not weak people’s psychological invention nor prayer a mere emotional vent. God still remains as real as the air we breathe, the glorious creator of the universe and sovereign sustainer of it, even when faith and common sense do not agree. Speaking to God can be as real as a six year old boy conversing with his dad.

God created the universe and looking at the sky can be quite amazing!

 The energy and time spent on worrying can be better spent on being productive, doing our part in God’s world. Engage in something productive or meaningful, relaxing, and soul uplifting – dance, sing, work (clean around), read a good book (the Bible), take a walk, visit a friend/relative/neighbour, go to a park; and just appreciate the wider world/life around you. In Matthew 6v27 Jesus asks, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” I think that one of the implications of this question is that you do the opposite when you worry: you subtract from your very life! It drains or eats you up. Then in his infinite wisdom, the Lord answers the rhetorical question in Luke 12v26, “If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” It is purely illogical! More in part 2 and a bonus poem.